Dangerous, Anti-Choice Legislation on Its Way to the Senate Floor
SB 2, which Governor Blunt named as one of his legislative priorities in his state of the state address, could be put to a vote on the Senate floor as soon as today. HB 100, the House version of SB 2 has already been passed by the Missouri House of Representatives.
NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri is working to stop this dangerous legislation. Activists from NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri are doing their best to defeat this bill by contacting their Senators and telling them to VOTE NO on SB 2--to join them simply go to the Are Your Legislators Pro-Choice section of this website and look up your state senator. Then call him or her and urge them to VOTE NO on SB 2. NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri staff are in Jefferson City working with our pro-choice senators to defeat this bill on the floor.
SB 2 would endanger women’s health in Missouri in multiple ways:
SB 2 would potentially force 3 of Missouri’s 4 abortion clinics to close. SB 2 would create burdensome and unnecessary regulations—regulations targeted specifically at abortion providers with the intent of forcing clinics to close. All physicians already comply with state and federal regulations. SB 2 is about reducing access to reproductive healthcare, not improving the services that women receive.
SB 2 would abandon teens in crisis to make decisions alone. By making any trusted adult civally liable to a teen’s parents, SB 2 would force teens who fear abuse or whose unintended pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, to make the decision about abortion alone. Almost always, young women already involve one or both parents when considering abortion. However, the government cannot mandate healthy family communication where it does not already exist.
SB 2 does nothing to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The Missouri Senate has finally scheduled a committee hearing the Patient Protection Act (SB 458), a bill that would ensure that women in Missouri are able to access Emergency Contraception (EC) in a timely manner. However, the Missouri General Assembly has yet to grant hearings for the Birth Control Protection Act (HB 621 and SB 40)or the C.A.R.E Act (SB 379)—bills that would help to prevent unintended pregnancies by providing women with better access to contraceptives. If the Missouri General Assembly were truly interesested in reducing the number of abortions in Missouri, they would focus on passing the legislation introduced by pro-choice Representatives and Senators that would reduce unintended pregnancies.
SB 2 is a waste of legislators time and taxpayers money at a time when vital programs are being cut from the Missouri budget. SB 2 is unconstitutional. If SB 2 passes, it will surely go to court--and it's defense will be paid for with taxpayer dollars. SB 2 violates the right to travel by burdening a young woman with the laws of Missouri even when she is in another state. SB 2 violates freedom of speech. SB 2 imposes an unconstitutional undue burden on all women seeking abortions by forcing providers to close. The Missouri House should only spend their valuable time on legislation that upholds the U.S. Constitution.
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